Good progress in meeting public service targets

Government agencies are making good progress across the 10 Better Public Services results to address some of New Zealand’s most challenging issues, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English and State Services Minister Jonathan Coleman say.

The Government today issued the first progress report on the results and the measurable targets sitting under them. Ministers have also agreed to set up a $20 million a year seed fund over four years to support government agencies as they work towards meeting their targets.

“The update today confirms that both ministers and agencies are starting to make gains in these challenging areas,” Mr English says. “This is benefitting New Zealanders and their families – including our most vulnerable young people.

“When the Prime Minister set these four- to five-year targets a year ago, he made it clear they were central to the Government’s plans to create a public service that is more innovative, enterprising, driven, and focused on results.

“They are all about delivering what New Zealanders really want and expect from their public services. We want to get further traction on difficult issues like reducing crime, reducing long-term welfare dependence and reducing educational under-achievement.

“We’ve also made it clear that some of these targets will be difficult to achieve. They will stretch the ability of the public sector to get the most out of the services they provide, and they will require determination over several years.”

Dr Coleman says that while government agencies are only one year into a four or five-year programme, these early results confirm the public service is finding new ways of delivering better services.

“This is requiring a culture change and a willingness to take some risks, to try new things and to work with others inside and outside of government for more collective impact across agencies,” he says.

“It’s also about focusing on the services and results that really matter to New Zealanders, rather than on how much money the Government is spending, which was the misguided benchmark of success under previous governments.

“When we set these targets, we understood there would be challenges along the way and that progress would not always be even and consistent. But I’m particularly pleased about the good start government agencies have made.

“We are finding that what’s good for communities in terms of better services and better results is also good for the Government’s books.”

For example, the number of people continuously receiving a working-age benefit for more than 12 months has fallen by almost 3,000 since March last year to 75,300. The target is 55,000 by 2017.

In another results area, as at March this year 89 per cent of eight-month olds had been immunised - up from less than 85 per cent a year ago. The target is 95 per cent by December 2014, and for this to be maintained through to June 2017.

And the proportion of 18-year olds with an NCEA Level 2 or equivalent qualification increased to 77.2 per cent in 2012, up from 74.3 per cent the previous year. The target is 85 per cent in 2017.

“So we are making some good progress, but there is still a long way to go,” Dr Coleman says.

The $20 million annual seed fund for the next four years to support the Better Public Service results will be funded from 2012/13 departmental underspends. It will help to enable business case development and design work for collaborative Better Public Services initiatives.

As confirmed when the results were announced last year, there are 14 measurable targets in total, as some of the 10 results areas have more than one target. A minister is leading each of the 10 results and they are expecting public service chief executives to demonstrate real progress against them.

More information about progress in meeting the results and related targets is available at: www.ssc.govt.nz/better-public-services